Page 28 - GOVERNOR'S LETTER JULY .cdr

Let’s Update Our Rotary Knowledge

FOUR-WAY SELF-CONTROL

Things we think, say or do:

· IS IT THE TRUTH?

· IS IT FAIR TO ALL CONCERNED?

· WILL IT BUILD GOOD WILL AND BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?

· WILL IT BE BENEFICIAL TO ALL CONCERNED?

The universal rule of ethics mostly used, stated and also liked by the Rotarians to have it hung on the walls of their
offices, is the “Four- Way Test” that we call the “Four-Way Self-Control”.

The 4-way self control rule was first mentioned and applied by Herbert J.Taylor in 1932, when he became president
of the Chicago Aluminum Company, which was on the verge of bankrupt at the time. Taylor wrote a set of
recommendations to guide all employees as he looked for a way to save this company with financial difficulties.
This 22-word business and ethics principle that he asked the employees to apply in their work had actually created
a miracle and it has been understood that this simple business ethics principle and philosophy can be applied to
any aspect of life. This “4-Way Self-Control” has been a guiding light in the company's sales, production,
advertisements and all kinds of communication such as with buyers and producers. In the end, it was seen that the
survival of the company was the result of the application of this simple philosophy.

This magic formula of Herbert J. Taylor was accepted as the "4-Way Test" at the 1943 Saint Louis, Missouri
Convention, forming the fundamentals of Rotary ethics. Since then, it has been translated into more than a
hundred different languages and published in thousands of different forms and formats setting the foundation of

the 4-Way Test business ethics. This is the most common and widely published definition used all around the world
to establish business ethics on solid foundations.

We wish you good days with the hope that all we think, say and do are true, fair for all those concerned and will
provide better goodwill and stronger friendships.

Mesut Koca - Adana Güney Rotary Club
2021-22 Rotary Knowledge Committee President

28